Manama: Chanda Kochhar, the head of India’s largest private sector bank, will speak at a major conference set to be hosted by Bahrain later this year, it was announced yesterday.
Under the patronage of Her Royal Highness Princess Sabeeka bint Ibrahim Al Khalifa, wife of His Majesty King Hamad and SCW president, the Women in the Financial and Banking Sector Conference is being held on November 30 at the Four Seasons Hotel Bahrain Bay.
It is organised jointly by the Central Bank of Bahrain (CBB) and Supreme Council for Women (SCW).
Ms Kochhar is the managing director and chief executive of ICICI Bank.
She is widely recognised for her role in shaping the retail banking sector in India and her role in numerous forums and organisations globally and has more than 30 years of experience in the banking industry and began her career with ICICI in 1984.
Ms Kochhar will take part in the conference by featuring as its special guest in an interview style discussion on “Leading the Transformation,” where she will share her insights and experiences on pioneering advancement and change in the sector.
The conference marks the conclusion of a year-long campaign, being held as part of the Bahraini Women’s Day celebration, to showcase and promote the role of women in the financial and banking sector.
Over the past eight months, the CBB and the SCW have already hosted a series of events including roundtables and town hall sessions to highlight issues of importance relating to women’s advancement in the sector.
CBB executive director for corporate services Dr Huda Al Maskati said the presence of senior women pioneers and industry leaders will ensure that the gathering showcases the enormous contributions women have made to the sector globally and the tremendous potential that lies ahead for the next generation of women given the proper guidance, support and opportunities.
“We look forward to welcoming Ms Kochhar and the vast experience and insight she brings to our conference and its participants,” Dr Al Maskati added.
Ms Kochhar said the world has made a great deal of progress in the area of representation of women in leadership across many areas – government, business and the social sector.
“Today, women are confident, ambitious and capable of leading from the front.
“I am delighted to be part of this conference which is a platform to motivate women to aspire for leadership, and to encourage them to work towards realising their dreams,” she said.
The conference is expected to bring together more than 250 members of the industry including senior members and heads of the kingdom’s top financial institutions, senior women in banking and finance and the next generation of women leaders.
Sponsors of the conference and campaign are National Bank of Bahrain, KFH-Bahrain and BBK as lead sponsors as well as Al Baraka Banking Group as the Women’s Empowerment Partner for Islamic Banking.